Shady Oak Road (CR 61) Update

Since last fall, the key detours have been removed and
traffic is moving through the Shady Oak Road corridor. The reconstruction
project is nearing the substantially complete phase. The contractor anticipates
this will be happen early this summer.

Construction continued through the winter, but picked up
considerably during April and May with work on walls and sidewalks. During the
next few weeks crews will be paving the final layer of roadway, striping,
installing paver blocks and the Hopkins Mainstreet monument and completing
sidewalk and trails.

For those near North Service Drive in Hopkins, there is a
bit more work to be done before the connection to Shady Oak Drive is reopened.
A wall was completed in the late winter months, and it was painted and finished
with a protective coating between rain events this spring. There is some
underground work to be completed before the roadbed can be built. Then the
sidewalk, curb and gutter need to be installed.

The cities of Hopkins and Minnetonka are working together
with the county and local business owners on a separate – but related -- Community
Works projectthat will improve the parking
lot at the Hopkins VFW and build a new parking lot for a relocated business in
the corridor. After the road construction is complete, the cities will move
ahead with a landscaping project along Shady Oak Road.Additionally,
the City of Minnetonka is working on a plan for redevelopment at South Oak
Drive Lane.

Check out a few updated county webpages

Hennepin County is currently working to improve its county webpages to better serve its residents and businesses. Below are a few examples of updated webpages. Feel free to browse Hennepin.us to view more.

I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. In addition to my monthly newsletter, the county sends various
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Please feel free to send me your comments through my feedback form on issues that concern you or you would like covered. I value your opinions.

Warm regards,

Jan Callison

Board meetings

May 10, 2016

Medical examiner reappointed

The board voted to reappoint Dr. Andrew Baker to another
four-year term. The Medical Examiner is a licensed physician, trained in
the specialty of forensic pathology. Baker leads the Medical Examiner’s office,
which investigates unexpected deaths that take place in Hennepin County. The
Medical Examiner is an independent entity, and does not work for the County
Attorney or any law enforcement agency. The information gathered during
these investigations, including autopsies, can be critical in civil or criminal
court cases and may help to identify trends in health and illness.

Transit-oriented development projects approved

The board for Hennepin County’s Housing and Redevelopment
Authority approved $2,325,000 in funding for six transit-oriented development
(TOD) projects. These projects include a mix of infrastructure, housing,
retail, services, workplaces and public plazas, all located within walking
distance of transit.

May 24, 2016

State grant will fund adult mental health services

The board accepted an $11.4 million grant from the Minnesota
Department of Human Services to provide services under the Hennepin County
Adult Mental Health Initiative. The 2016 Adult Mental Health Grant includes
funding in four categories:

$3,633,586 for Community Support Services programs,
which provide drop-in case management and related services to help people
live on their own in the community.

$506,300 for the Project for Assistance in Transition
from Homelessness program, which provides support services to people who
are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness.

Strategic plan will guide natural resources work

The board voted to adopt the Hennepin County Natural Resources
Strategic Plan, which is valid through 2020. The plan will guide the county and
its partners in responding to natural resource issues and developing policies
and programs that improve, protect and preserve our natural resources. The
primary need for the plan is to provide clear direction to guide natural
resources work in the county and support applications for natural resources
funding. The county has delivered conservation services for more than a decade
and is currently the only county in Minnesota with the duties and authorities
of a soil and water conservation district.

Renovation makes space for crisis mental and chemical health programs

The Hennepin County Board approved a plan to expand mental and
chemical health programming at its facility at 1800 Chicago Avenue. The nearly
$300,000 renovation will create space for an expanded sobering center and new
mental health crisis stabilization program.

Board briefings

In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the board
often meets on Thursday mornings to receive board briefings. These are
informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are
made. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the
Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.

May 5, 2016

Strategic Facility Management Plan

Facility
Services staff conducted this briefing relating to the construction and
maintenance of county buildings. Among
the topics discussed were space efficiency modifications, workplace safety
results and some of the challenges being experienced as county buildings age.

Information Technology Trends and Initiatives

This
briefing prevented an opportunity to discuss the scope and breadth of IT
services as well as the value proposition for business technology needs. It
also gave staff and the board a chance to review industry trends with the
members of the IT Advisory Board:
Alistair Jacques, CIO for Fairview Health Systems; Mike Martiny, VP/CIO
Solutions Development with General Mills; and Steve Brown, Executive
Vice-President and CIO for Caribou Coffee.
Among the topics discussed were data center strategy and major 2016-17
IT projects.

May 19, 2016

Sheriff Staffing Study

County
staff and Sheriff’s Office staff reported on progress in implementing
recommendations from the Staffing Study performed by Matrix Consulting
Group.This was the second briefing on
this topic.

Capital Investment / libraries

The
purpose of this briefing was to consider recommendations to sustain the Library
budget.Among the topics that were
presented for discussion were strategic plan reframe, new Webber Park Library
hours and staffing, buildings strategy, capital budget, technology strategy and
collection strategy.

May 24, 2016

Level 3 Sex Offenders

This
was the second briefing recently on the topic of mitigating Level 3 sex
offender concentration in Hennepin County.Staff presented information about the number of Level 3 sex offenders in
Hennepin County, their status as supervised or unsupervised, their location in
certain cities or neighborhoods, housing choices available to them and
recidivism rates.Staff proposes to
manage concentration of these offenders by focusing on a
revised four-factor assessment when requests for housing approval are
received.

County calendar

May 31, 2016

Southdale Service Center moves to Southdale Mall

The Hennepin County Southdale Service Center has moved to the
Southdale Mall. The current location at 7009 York Avenue South,
Edina, is permanently closed.

The new location opened Tuesday, May 31, at 1225 Southdale Center, Edina — inside the
Southdale Mall.

This new location has ample free parking, is accessible via many
bus routes and allows customers to take care of their needs at the service
center while shopping, seeing a movie or dining at the mall.

It will be located near the external entrance between JCPenney
and Herberger’s.

The Southdale Service Center serves residents in Bloomington,
Eden Prairie, Edina and Richfield, and provides the following services:

All-terrain
vehicle (ATV) registration

Birth
certificates or records

Boat
or watercraft registration

Death
certificates or records

Driver’s
licenses and instruction permits

License
plates or tabs

Marriage
licenses

Marriage
certificates or records

Marriage
officiant credential filling

Minnesota
state ID’s

Notary
services

Property
tax payments

Snowmobile
registration

State
park permits

Vehicle
registration or title

Vehicle
title, tabs or plates

The Southdale Library and the Southdale Courthouse for Fourth
Judicial District Court remain at the 7009 York Avenue location.

June 7, 2016

Health and Safety Fair

Discover great
ways to improve your health, stay safe, and help your loved ones do the same. More
than 25 exhibitors will share a wealth of resources, demonstrations and
activities at this year’s Health and Safety Fair, taking place Tuesday June 7,
from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the skyway level of the Hennepin County
Government Center.

The event
brings together CenterPoint Energy, NiceRide, Minnesota Safety Council,
Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, Three Rivers Park District, Minnesota
Department of Health and many other organizations and is hosted by Hennepin
County’s Workplace Safety and HealthWorks.

July 7, 2016

Announcement of one vacancy on the Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District Board

The Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek Watershed District
provides for the management of the water and related land resources within the area
tributary to Riley-Purgatory-Bluff Creek. One of the most important responsibilities of the Watershed District is the preparation
and implementation of a Plan for the management of the water and related land
resources of the District. Project plans of private developers, the state, counties and
cities must be submitted to the Watershed District Managers for review and approval.
The District issues permits in order to protect the water and related land resources.

For more information or to apply please visit the citizen advisory board webpage.